Reaction to Meds

 I've always been lucky, I guess, in that my corpus responds well and fast to meds. I was told that at age 3 I got a bad rash when given penicillin, and so my whole life have claimed that as an allergy, though I've read that most older folks like me really DON'T have one -- but then again -- as I avoid Thailand and Amsterdam, haven't really needed to take penicillin.

The one drug that DOES get me is Advil -- man -- my otherwise iron clad stomach feels like ulcers develop instantly when I've taken it. So I stick with Tylenol and aspirin, when needed -- leaving the NSAIDS for others.

So last Thursday, after the hypertensive scare, where my reading was consistent with "Get thee to an ER," my doc started my on Lisinopril -- old school BP med. By yesterday, at another doc's office, my BP was already back to the "high but you're not gonna die imminently" range, and my new adult toy arrived!

No -- not THAT kind of adult toy -- the far less fun one -- a state of the art BP monitor. My doc says he really doesn't trust ANY non office machines, and we got one for Wifey after her stroke 5.5 years ago, and it was always tough to adjust the cuff -- she NEVER took her BP without my help.

But now they have auto cuff machines -- kind of like the ones you see at Walgreens and CVS -- and I treated myself to a $150 model -- it arrived. The readings were pretty, pretty, pretty, good -- barely elevated, and one this am was actually normal. Wifey took hers -- low normal -- as is her usual state.

Wifey had really low BP, which is what started her journey to the stroke. She saw a cardiologist who gave her a Young Frankenstein-like tilt table test -- he moved her body all sorts of angles to recreate her hypotensive state. Wifey had fainted a few times, with a trip to the ER to stitch up a head wound after she convinced them I didn't do it...

Anyway, this doc, long since de-licensed on account of Medicare fraud, put her on BP LOWERING meds, and told her to put salt on everything. Problem was, Wifey got older and larger, and refused to pay the MDVIP charges for our regular doc, and instead saw her friend Elizabeth's sister's boyfriend irregularly. Harris, nice fellow, didn't notice the uptick in her BP -- accentuated by the raising meds and salty diet.

Alas, it led to the stroke in January of '21, which was, mercifully, a mild one from which she has mostly fully recovered.

But given the lack of fun it is to take care of a stroke victim, assembling Team Wifey and driving her to a seemingly endless number of rehab appointments, I really do NOT wish to become a victim. I'm a better caretaker than care receiver anyway -- so it would be far worse for me.

So for now, I shall enjoy this seeming fast effect of my new meds. I see Dr. Rigo tomorrow am and will see the true progress, if any. In consult with Dr. Barry, I realize now that shunning alcohol completely isn't really needed -- just cut down a bit. 

Tuesday old friend Ronni came by and I poured her 1.5 Hendricks and tonics, and myself a healthy Zhyr, and boy was it nice. Yeah -- gonna face the new challenges OFF the wagon -- I think that suits me better...

But the diet remains. Yesterday D2 and I , along with enormous Betsy, had a magical day. We dropped her Jeep off at Tires Plus, where it got the needed oil change, filter changes, rotation, and new wipers. The place really WAS magic -- everything was free to her, as was the next visit to the gas station.

Gas is free to the Ds in Pinecrest. I wish I had that deal when I was in my 30s...

We had lunch at Crema, and I had a healthy poke tuna bowl. D2 was impressed -- usually it would be a big sandwich there. Later, we brought in Shahs of Kebab, and I ate like a human -- half the portion. Wow. 

D1, an amazing dietitian, has long said that if you eat less and exercise more -- you lose weight. Wow -- all of those years of higher ed I paid for meant something -- and  -- turns out -- she's correct!

So I plan to stay the course as long as the course is there.

Speaking of which, Ronni told us a tale of her old friend, a women's radiologist. We met her years ago -- she did the amniocentesis when Wifey was pregnant with D2, on account that Wifey was just old enough to check for Down Syndrome (everyone adds an S). D2 was just fine, and we learned from the doc's office en route to Charleston, with 3 year old D1 in her car seat, that she had a sister coming.

Anyway,, this doc was married to another doc -- long marriage, kids, big house, wealth. But her husband was diagnosed in his late 60s with an aggressive form of Alzheimers, and even at a relatively early stage, planned a family trip to Switzerland where he, his wife, and kids had a great dinner and the next day said goodbye to them and hello to euthanasia.

Their friends were shocked. "I saw Tom in the gym last week -- he was FINE! Why would he do that?" His now widow responded that he was a brilliant man, knew what was coming for himself and his family, got got while the gettin' was good.

I must say -- I admire that. Part of being a real man, after a lifetime of taking care of your family, is being able to gracefully exit before you burden THEM.

I sure hope to only visit Switzerland again for the gorgeous vistas and Summer asparagus (the restaurants make a comically big deal about that).

All I can do now is get lighter, keep the BP down, and savor each day.